RICK NEUHEISEL WANTS TO GIVE YOU FORTY DOLLARS.

Good morning. I’m here to tell you why I should be the next coach at UCLA, but first, I’d like each of you to look under your seats. Everyone looking?
Yep. That’s forty dollars. Forty whole dollars for each of you, amigos. I can’t tell you what to do with it, but I do want you all to know that you should take it as a sign of great seriousness and commitment on my part that I came here with forty dollars for each of you, and taped it to the underside of your chairs pre-meeting, and am now telling you: there’s plenty more where that came from, amigos, if you’re prepared to get serious about this coaching thing.
I am. In fact, I’ll just cut the bullshit and get down to the x’s and o’s of this thing: Rick Neuheisel will personally tape forty dollars to the underside of your chair every day if you’ll hire him as UCLA football coach, Monday through Friday. Think about that for a minute. That’s $10,400 dollars a year, all cash, all on the DL, and all between you and me, friends.
Think: it’s extra money around town, it’s a posh weekend in Vegas, including a hooker! Or something to toss at the old lady when she gets mad at you for blowing all your cash on recruits. That’s cool here, right? Just giving the kids a little something for their effort, right? Cool, I’ll take the silence as an indicator we’re all on the same page.
I could bore you with all the x’s and o’s, but I’d rather you just focus on the fact that Uncle Ricky’s gonna make it rain around here. That’s right, I’m down with it. If Pete Carroll’s out handing his phone number out to teens shooting craps in the alley…well, I’ll be the one running the craps game in the alley, friends.
So consider the resume, friends. Two Jacksons and one proven winner are waiting on you.












28
Screw the forty bucks, Dude. But how ’bout filling out my March Madness brackets?
If Skinny Rick does land the job, I think that the key to recruiting effectively in South Central is just sitting on Mama’s plastic slip covered couch and strumming the old six string. Not many people know this but the Kingston Trio is still huge in the ‘hood.
But seriously folks, UCLA needs anutha brutha, and Ty Willingham is lookin’ around. His buyout is basically this…you offer Ty a job, and Washington gives you $3 Million. Plus, a couple more three and outs and Mr. Willie can afford to just play golf all fucking day long, every day for a real long time.
Comment by J.J. — December 27, 2007 @ 8:57 pm
27
As the father of two unborn fetuses, I can assure you that we’d make sure they signed with Pete before Rick, because Dad would like to hang at the Grotto.
Comment by Will — December 27, 2007 @ 7:45 pm
26
I have to agree with SKLM that slick rich being hired by UCLA would make a lot of USC fans very happy. His pattern at both Colorado and Washington was to start strong with the players who were there and then slide into mediocrity in his 3rd year (sort of like a skinny Charlie Weis). And both programs were a wasteland after he was fired.
A bonus is that UCLA will burn their newly rebuilt recruiting ties to urban LA by passing over Walker, who is unlikely to stay. UCLA is a school that barely has any black students in the last few incoming classes. The have a real image problem in the black community and any perceived mistreatment of Walker is only going to exacerbate that.
On the other hand, if UCLA does end up hiring Walker then we get the entertainment of seeing the monkeys at Bruins Nation/DD go absolutely bonkers.
Comment by oc phil — December 27, 2007 @ 3:50 pm
25
Wishful Thinking Dept:
As a USC fan, I hope ucla hires Nuheisel NOW.
Nuhistrudel will get whacked by Pete Carroll in every way (recruiting, coaching and bloviating to the press) Every interview with Newshisel will include the obligatory question about NCAA cheatin’ and lawsuits.
Neustashless is to Carroll, like no-butt Paris Hilton is to an EDSBS bunda babe.
Comment by Stacy Keibler Luvs Me — December 27, 2007 @ 3:18 pm
24
David Cross does a great bit on the Promise Keepers.
Comment by Will (the other one) — December 27, 2007 @ 2:30 pm
23
#18: You think recruitings weird? What’s creepier are those who track the recruiting– the messageboards where grown men with no actual ties to the athletic program obsess over the stats of seventeen year olds and track their every statement of interest and start new topics how they heard from their friend’s cousin’s neighbor who goes to school with Recruit X’s girlfriend that he’s leaning towards State University Y instead of State University P.
Lots of amusement to be had when class is slow to read their recruiting fever dreams, but also a little creepy.
Comment by Kate — December 27, 2007 @ 1:32 pm
22
#20 - So-called ‘moral leadership” and a national championship will buy you a lot of leeway.
#21 - gotcha. Neuheisel is a throwback in that sense with his disregard for the NCAA. UCLA’s AD probably has him hanging on as a last resort, because he really doesn’t want to hire him, but can’t get anyone competent to be interested in his cheap ass program.
Comment by Signal to Noise — December 27, 2007 @ 1:27 pm
21
#19
Slick created the monster…..Gary Barnett enabled the monster….Slick Rick being the lawya type, will interepret “rules” creatively til he gets called on it…I am sure his motto is : “Never let a restraining order stand in the way of 4/5 star recruiting….he isnt saying yes, but then again he isnt saying no…..we still have a shot at a recruit up til the minute he signs on the dotted line, til then its Katie-Bar-The-Door…If the NCAA doesnt know about it, it doesnt exist….”
Just made that up, but Slick Rick is the Cigarette Smoking Man of recruiting if ya knowwhutI’msayin….
No rules, just right
Comment by Mr Pelican Pants — December 27, 2007 @ 12:57 pm